Never the Face: A Story of Desire by Ariel Sands

"He's way ahead of you, observed a small voice in my head. You don't often meet a man who makes you feel like an ingenue."

Our heroine, who is never named, is dissatisfied with her life and find everything, including sex, a bore. Over dinner with David, an old friend she's always had chemistry with, he quietly says, "I spent the weekend choosing a stick to beat you with." With these words a previously unknown world opens up to her. A world of submission and a dark intimacy that shakes everything she thought she knew about herself.

I am reading a lot of erotic fiction and erotica for a workshop I'm doing in September. Like our heroine, I am expanding my reading horizons even more so than usual. This book will not appeal to many readers. It is unflinching in its portrayal of Dominant/submissive relationships and there is no doubt that it is brutal and also much more. I came at it from the angle of understanding the characters involved and the intimacy and openness a relationship like this must posses. A hard and intriguing read that made me think outside my comfort zone. Ariel Sands is a pseudonym for an international bestselling nonfiction author. In an interview, she said she wanted to write with a pseudonym so there would be no preconceived notion of what the book would be like. 2011, 216 pages.

Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

"My life, I thought, is built on quicksand. It shifts from one day to the next."

Christine wakes up every morning wondering who the guy is sleeping in the bed beside her. Sometimes she feels like she's in her twenties and other times she feels like a child. It is only when she goes to the bathroom and sees an older woman staring back that she begins to panic. Every day, her husband Ben gently calms her down and reminds her of her life. Christine has amnesia and forgets everything she's been told each day when she falls asleep. When a doctor calls and tells her to read her journal hidden in her closet and to not tell Ben-Christine has to decide who to believe and how much she can unravel before she falls asleep again.

This book is getting a lot of press, including a rave review from Dennis Lehane comparing it to the movie Memento. A classic thriller it is full of fast paced suspense that will keep the reader hooked. What makes it memorable is the engaging depth of character in Christine-who can remember nothing of her life day to day. The plot is tightly written and does not fall into too many cliches. The twists and turns are fun and thoughtful. If I am any example of a typical reader, I was throwing theories around in my head throughout the whole novel. Only a few of them came true. For that, I tip my hat. 2011, 358 pages.